


Birth of the Great Protector

by avatar_dragon_rider



Series: ATLA OC Rewrite [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Because of Reasons, F/M, Origin Story, Original Character(s), there's no actual sex it's just magic, zhao has a child with a phoenix, zhao is a dick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 14:44:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9496259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avatar_dragon_rider/pseuds/avatar_dragon_rider
Summary: Zhao focused on Phoenix’s beak, remembering from his readings that looking into the eye of the Great Phoenix could cause one to burst into flames and burn up on the spot. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter; he wasn’t taking any chances. “I wish for a human child from your loins. Someone who can protect the Fire Nation and its leaders for a long time. If the Firelords continue their pointless search for the Avatar, they will need someone to guide them. If the old legends about the Avatar being part spirit are true, then having a spirit help search could prove very useful.”





	

Captain Zhao slowly made his way down the dark path, the hood of his cloak pulled up to hide his face. His only light was the moon far above him and the glowing light that could just barely be seen from his position. Trees barricaded him in on either side, making him pull his cloak closer around him. The Great Phoenix’s lair was a very foreboding place, and the path there wasn’t any less pleasant.

 _WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER!_ a female voice boomed as Zhao approached the glowing nest.

Zhao took a step back; the heat was intense, even for a Firebender as advanced as he. He took a silent breath before speaking, loud and clear. “O Great Mother of Spirits, it is I, Captain Zhao. I come before you tonight with a humble request.”

The glowing nest started to move. What appeared to be a golden ball of light sat in the middle, but suddenly it grew a neck and wings. The ball of light was in fact Phoenix herself, the first life form to exist on the planet. From her loins, all spirits were born. She even gave rise to the race of dragons―and it was for this reason that she had a profound hatred for humans, Firebenders especially. The great spirit mother looked down her large beak at Zhao. Her eye itself was about the size of his fist, her neck longer than he was tall and thicker than several of the tree trunks that ringed the nest.

 _And what would this request be, human?_ She spoke without moving her beak. Her voice seemed to come from the trees themselves, surrounding Zhao in a melody of her smooth yet menacing voice.

Zhao focused on Phoenix’s beak, remembering from his readings that looking into the eye of the Great Phoenix could cause one to burst into flames and burn up on the spot. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter; he wasn’t taking any chances. “I wish for a human child from your loins. Someone who can protect the Fire Nation and its leaders for a long time. If the Firelords continue their pointless search for the Avatar, they will need someone to guide them. If the old legends about the Avatar being part spirit are true, then having a spirit help search could prove very useful.”

 _You dare suggest I produce an offspring with a human?_ Phoenix’s voice was not accusing or angry, as Zhao would have thought, but rather curious and intrigued, as if she had never thought of having a human offspring before. _Spirits are not to be used for human gain. We have our own ways and our own morals and you are a fool to suggest that we do your dirty work. Not to mention the fact that it was Firelord Sozin who decided to hunt and kill the dragons, my children, for sport._

Zhao’s smirk was hidden under his hood. He’d had a feeling Phoenix would say something like that, and had already thought up a way to persuade her. “The dragons stole the world from you, Great One. Your son, Kahn, stole your title and named himself king. Many humans know you as a dragonbird rather than a phoenix. Why would you want to defend their kind? They deserved their fate for what they did to you. Wouldn’t you love to have revenge? Would it not please you, my Queen, to have your offspring overthrow the dragons once and for all so you can claim what is rightfully yours?”

This seemed to please the firebird. She considered Zhao, who made sure to avoid looking in her eye, then finally she spoke. _Very well. Do you have your genetics with you now?_

“Yes.” Zhao reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial containing a sample of his blood. It floated out of his hand and over to Phoenix. The firebird lifted herself up, revealing a clutch of golden eggs between her talons. The eggs were large, each one easily bigger than a watermelon. The vial floated toward one of the eggs and glowed a soft golden color. The liquid flew out of the top and dissolved into one of the eggs, which Phoenix then nudged toward Zhao using her beak. The egg slowly started to glow, starting out dim then slowly increasing in intensity until Zhao was forced to look away. When the glow seemed almost too much to bear, Phoenix tapped it with her beak, and the eggshell dissolved. Instantly, the glow was gone.

Zhao looked at where the egg had been. Now, there lay a newborn baby girl, her eyes wide open. She looked at Zhao with an intensity that he appreciated. Her eyes were golden, like her mother’s, with pupils that slit vertically. She did not cry, but stared at Zhao as if daring him to touch her. He knelt down and picked the child up, wrapping her in his cloak to keep her warm.

 _Go now,_ Phoenix said, her voice softer than Zhao had ever heard. _Raise her into a great hero._

Zhao bowed to the firebird, thanking her for her service, then turned around and walked back the way he had come, a malicious smirk hidden by the darkness of the trees.


End file.
